A Dash of hope
by Audioworm
Summary: James' life was pretty awful lately...until he finds himself in Equestria...as a pegasus. And it just keeps getting better. Currently rated T, but probably will later be rated M for mature themes. No, not porn. ZIP UP THOSE PANTS RIGHT NOW YOUNG MAN
1. Reality shift

_Well hi there! My 2nd attempt at a fanfic, the first being Rainbow's Revenge. Much less dark. Anyway, hope ye enjoy it!_

_Also disclaimer. I don't own My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.  
_

* * *

I sat on the bed and gazed wistfully out the window, September playing softly on my MP3 player.

My name is James. Lately, my life had taken a turn for the worst. Some months ago, my parents' marriage was declining, and I was beginning to question whether it would last, and even lightly suspect him of cheating on her. My suspicions were confirmed when we found a stray viagra pill. At first my dad denied it, but he eventually admitted it. Many other things were making me depressed as well that I'd rather not go into. I was seeing a counselor roughly twice a week, but it wasn't doing much. Whenever I really thought about it, I got upset, so I did stuff to help me cease thought. The internet and music were two of them. Especially Friendship is Magic.

Yeah, if you haven't guessed by now, I'm a brony. And I make no secret of it.

Sadly, right now, the music was doing nothing to put my mind to a stop.

A cloud rolling by reminded me faintly of a pegasus. I sneaked another wistful gaze. What I wanted more than anything in the world right now was to leave this world. I wanted to trade my human body for that of a pegasus and soar through the air without a care. A bit corny, maybe, but that was what I desperately wanted. I wanted to go to Equestria. But that was impossible...Or so I thought.

Acting on impulse, I opened up the window, stepped onto the roof and climbed up to the highest point. I lay there listening to music and watching the clouds roll by. This was my first time on the roof, and for whatever reason, despite my profound fear of heights, I felt no nervousness at all. I wasn't even sure why I was up there. But I didn't care. Not even about the risk of losing my balance and falling to my death. Death seemed like a relatively good alternative at the time. I lay there for what felt like hours. Maybe it was only a few minutes. But, again, I didn't really care.

A quick glance at the sky removed any suspicion about the time that passed. The sky had turned scarlet, the sun slowly lowering itself behind the hills. _Maybe I should get inside,_ I thought to myself. _But then again..._ Here I began to doze off. _Maybe...just a little longer... _I lay back down. A few minutes later, I was fast asleep.

* * *

I opened my eyes. I felt cool grass below, and warm June air penetrating from above.

Wait.  
Grass? I was certain I fell asleep on a roof. Anxiety began welling up inside me. Did I fall off? Am I a ghost, or a zombie, or something?

I banished the paranoid thoughts. But still, it made no sense...

I tried to sit up and promptly fell back again. Something was very wrong. My hands didn't feel right. I tried standing up, and fell down again. Now I was getting annoyed. I made a third attempt, and this time thrust out my hands to catch myself as I fell.

I looked down...and saw, in horror, the reason why I couldn't stand.

Where my hands should be...were teal hooves.

In my surprise, I collapsed again. Dammit.

Once I had gotten over the shock, I got up again – remembering just in time to catch myself – and tried to get a good look at myself. I saw a lightly built colt body with a teal coat and a messy, very dark, almost black purple mane. A pair of wings sprouted from my sides.

Well, there. I was a pegasus.

Then I took a look around. I was in a sunny, grassy clearing in the middle of the Everfree Forest, and I noticed Ponyville not too far away.

What the hell was going on? How did I get here? Questions buzzed around in my head like moths around a fire. But I had no answers. And it was damn near driving me insane. I took a deep breath and tried to calm down. After a few minutes, I was calm again. My confusion was replaced by excitement.

I ran around a bit to test my new body. Walking like a pony wasn't as confusing as I thought it would be. After a while, I decided it was time to try flying. I jumped and began flapping my wings at a steady pace. Sure enough, I stayed in my place in the air. _Great, _I thought. _Now_, _how does this work? How should I try to go forward? _Tilting forward seemed to make the most sense, so I tried that. As expected, I started to move in that direction...too much. I found my face pounded into a tree. As agile as a squashed snail.

After several hours, I was able to fly at a relatively fast pace without smashing my face into trees and I was used to walking like a pony. Then I saw the sky. I spent far more time practicing than I thought. I considered sleeping in the forest - the grass was soft enough - but I remembered that there were probably several strange beasts there. Most of them probably hostile. With all other options exhausted, I started to fly in the direction of Ponyville. From what I know, most ponies are decent enough folk, so maybe someone would give me a place to stay for the night...

* * *

_Yeah, that's the first chapter. Hope ye enjoyed!_


	2. Eet ees Scienca

_Chapter 2 is here, yay! Thanks for your constructive criticism and praise._

_I still don't own My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.  
_

* * *

When I arrived at Ponyville, the streets were mostly deserted. I only saw the occasional pony walking around. I wandered around wondering who I could ask.

_I guess I'll ask Fluttershy, _I thought. _Good a start as any._

Flying around for a bit, I soon found Fluttershy's house. I knocked on the door. Soon the door cracked open and Fluttershy's face was barely visible. "H-hello?" I was about to speak, but suddenly felt something sharp in my side. I looked there and saw a cat had scratched me.

This also led to the discovery that I didn't seem to have a cutie mark...

"No!" Fluttershy yelled. She spent a couple moments scolding and shooing away the cat, and a few more apologizing profusely, as though the whole ordeal were somehow her fault. It was so cute I nearly found myself smiling. Eventually, after she was satisfied with the amount of apologies, I inquired about the room.

* * *

The bed was satisfactory, and Fluttershy did reasonably well making sure I was content. Angel was a bit suspicious though. I didn't blame him; some random colt with no cutie mark never seen in town before showing up at sunset asking to stay the night. Fluttershy had kindly prepared me a tasty breakfast in the morning, and after giving her my thanks I was back outside, wondering what to do next. I wandered around for a while, returning the occasional nod or wave from some ponies, until I found myself in front of Twilight's library.

_Maybe she'll know what to do,_ I thought to myself. I knocked on the door. Within a few moments it opened and the lavender unicorn was standing in front of me.

"Good morn-" she began, but halted abruptly. She stared at me and her horn began to glow. I became slightly uncomfortable. "Is something wrong?" I asked.

Without another word she grabbed me and dragged me inside, slamming the door behind her, and leaned in uncomfortably close, as though she were about to try to shove me over. "That's very weird," she muttered to herself, rubbing her chin.

I began to grow anxious. "What?"

"Your field," she replied. "There's a very strange field of magic around your body. I've never seen anything like that before... And you don't even seem to have a cutie mark."

Okay, now I was beginning to get freaked out.

Suddenly her eyes widened and her horn stopped glowing. "Oh! Sorry, I got distracted... I'm just really interested in that magic field around you."

"Er, yeah, I kinda guessed that."

"Say, would you mind if I studied it here for a while?"

"Um. Sure, I guess."

Great. One day in Equestria and I've already become a test subject.

* * *

The next few hours were a blur of books, potions, magic, and talk about all three that I barely understood at all. Twilight was becoming visibly frustrated.

"Ugh, this isn't getting anywhere!" she exclaimed. "I need to understand this damn thing..." she muttered. Sighing, she sank into a seat.

"Don't sweat it, Twi," I replied. "I don't really get it either. I-" but then I stopped herself. As far as I knew, no one here knew humans existed. And she might not even believe my story. Plus we didn't know each other all that well, and I wasn't ready to reveal something like that yet. Luckily, she didn't press the issue. Then she gasped and her eyes widened, as if she just realized something. "Oh, I'm sorry! I've kept you here so long.."

"It's alright."

"Plus I never got your name."

"James."

"Huh, I've never heard of a pony with a name like that before."

"Well...you could say I'm not from around here. Anyway, I think I should go now."

Twilight opened her mouth to say something, but stopped herself. "Alright," she said. "Come by again sometime, okay?"

"Er, yeah. See ya."

I left the house with even more questions formed and none answered. It looked like if it was even possible to figure any of this out, I was gonna have a hell of a time doing so.

* * *

_There's chpt. 2 for ya! Hope ye enjoyed that!_


	3. Work, work

_What, you're still here? Didn't think "holy shit this fanfic is so shitty fuck this" and leave(yet)? Awesome._

_Do you know how much it costs to own My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic? Neither do I, but it's probably a lot more than I'll ever have. Thus, I do not own My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic._

It was still early in the afternoon when I exited Twilight's house. Ponies were walking around, chatting, or relaxing in several places. I thought about what to do next and realized a downside of being in Equestria: I had too much free time.

_I suppose I should try to get some bits,_ I thought.

After a while, I found myself manning a fruit stand. Well, could be worse. Hours passed. Business was relatively good. But my mind kept wandering. Sure, I was in Equestria, which was pretty damn awesome, but it made absolutely no sense. What would cause me to just suddenly jump to another universe? I had to find out...if it was even possible.

The sound of a pony clearing her throat jarred me back to reality. "Oh, sorry," I said. "Just lost in thought..."

Then my eyes widened. I recognized the pony as Rainbow Dash.

I wanted to talk to her but I wasn't quite sure about how to start a conversation.I became a bit irritated at myself. Finally, as I stuffed her bag with peaches, I said the first thing that came into my mind.

"Hey, I think I've heard of you."

_Argh, dammit. Dumbass dumbass dumb-wait, that wasn't actually too stupid..._

She looked a bit startled upon hearing this. "Wha, really?"

"Yeah. Rainbow Dash, wasn't it? I've heard about you. Nice to meet you!"

"Well, uh. Thanks!"

"So what brings you here?"

"Oh, I wanted a change from apples for once... Heh, Applejack is probably gonna say I betrayed her now."

I chuckled.

We chatted for a couple more minutes when an elderly stallion came into the line. I realized I'd better not linger and hold the line up.

"Well, it was cool seeing you, Rainbow.."

Something nagged at the back of my mind. I might not get a chance to talk to her again, I realized. I had to say something.

"Do you want to hang out sometime?"

Again, she looked the tiniest bit surprised. But after a couple seconds, she gave a smile. "Yeah, sure! I'd like that."

"Ah, great.. We'll work out the details later."

"Tomorrow?"

"Yeah, why not? Well, see ya then."

"Yeah, bye!"

She took her bag, walked off, and took to the air. I watched her fly off. Well, no reason not to have a good time while I'm trying to solve this mystery. If it could be solved.

_Focus,_ I reminded myself. _Right now you have work to do._

I looked up to see the stand now had quite a long line.

Piss.


	4. Manticore

_Thought this fanfic was dead? You thought wrong._

_Seriously, I don't own My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic._

* * *

After roughly half an hour, my work was finished. I now had a wallet with a cool 20 bits in it. Luckily, finding to do next was not that difficult, as my stomach rumbled and I realized I haven't eaten at all since I entered Equestria. I flew around for a while until I found Sugarcube Corner. With its' gingerbread roof it was unmistakable.

Mrs. Cake was operating the counter today. Soon I walked outside, holding a bag with 3 cupcakes inside in my mouth, with 14 bits left in my wallet. I plopped it down on the nearby table and pulled out a cupcake. My eyes widened as I bit into it. It was still warm, and way more pleasant than any other treat I'd ever eaten; and that was quite saying something. Delicious as it was, I forced myself to eat slowly and savor it, rather than gobble them down all at once. As I enjoyed my treats, my eyes wandered, and I caught my breath as I noticed Rarity passing by. I'd thought her pretty enough in the cartoon, but with everything all real, she looked seriously beautiful.

Realizing I'd been staring, I quickly tore my eyes away, my face turning a deep scarlet as I resumed my lunch.

* * *

I whirled around in the air. Maybe it was a bit reckless, pushing myself to fly so fast when I was pretty much still adjusting to new body, but if you ever knew what flying felt like, you wouldn't be able to blame me. It didn't actually feel like floating – it required muscle strain as I beat my wings firmly and quickly, thrusting my front legs in front of me and hind legs behind to gain more speed, so it really felt more like swimming. But either way, it was awesome. Finally, I flew down to land and rest. I galloped along the ground for a few moments before steadying myself and sat down. Looking around, I found myself in the Everfree Forest. Anxiety rose up within me as I realized that aside from just making sure I just didn't crash into something, I completely neglected to pay attention to my surroundings...

I felt some of my strength returning as I sat down for a while, trying to ignore the sense of foreboding bubbling up within me. I started reassuring myself. _Nothing's going to happen, James. You're just being paranoid as usual. You'll be fine._

I began to calm down, but this was quickly shattered. I leaped to my feet – well, hooves – and stared at the rustling plants. Soon I found myself face to face with a manticore, licking its' lips and displaying its' rows of shark-like teeth.

_You were saying?_

I quickly leaped aside and dodged its' enormous scorpion tail. Sizzling green poison splattered the ground where I once was. I shuddered, then quickly hopped backwards just in time to avoid another strike. The manticore changed tactics and took a swipe at me with its' titanic paw. I leaped aside, but it just barely wasn't enough. I yelled out in pain as one of its' talon-like claws grazed my left wing. Blood dripped from my new wound.

Seeing my own blood made me feel sickly and dizzy. But I didn't have time for that. I don't know what I was thinking, but I ran straight at the manticore, catching it by surprise. I jumped at its' face and kicked off its' forehead, landing behind it. Not even looking where I was going, I galloped as fast as I could, putting as much distance between me and the monster as possible. I forced myself to ignore the rising pain in my legs and the burning in my wing as I ran further and further into the woods.

Finally, I dared to look behind me. The beast was nowhere to be seen. I exhaled in relief and plopped down on the ground, closing my eyes and trying to steady my rapidly beating heart. I strained to stay awake as exhaustion overtook me. If I fell unconscious all the way out here, something would surely find me and eat me. I got up and saw smoke rising from a clearing and began slowly clopping toward it. Finally I reached the edge and found it to be Zecora's hut. Looks like for once, luck was on my side. I took two more steps forward before I couldn't take it anymore. My wing and legs were killing me. I fell forward and slowly blacked out.

* * *

When I woke up, I was leaning against a wall with a bowl of some liquid pressed to my lips. I obediently drank it. Instantly, I felt better. The burning in my lungs, legs and wing ceased. My heartbeat slowed until it was normal. I The bowl lowered and I looked up into the friendly black-and-white striped face of Zecora. I flexed and looked at my wing. It was perfectly fine, as though there were never a wound there in the first place.

"Thanks," I said. "You probably just saved my life."

"Think nothing of it," she replied. "'Twas a pleasure. It required no drastic measure."

I chuckled a bit at her rhyme. Then here expression turned serious. "But what were you doing so deep in the forest, especially at this time of day?"

I looked away sheepishly, feeling my face turn hot as blood rushed to it in embarrassment. "Well... I was practicing my flying and, er...didn'tlookwhereIwasgoing."

She didn't look surprised. "Well, you're lucky, but now you should go yonder. You don't want to be here much longer..."

I looked out the window and saw she was right. The sun was beginning to set.

"Ah, yes. Thanks again!"

I walked outside and took to the air, flying toward ponyville. I thought about where to sleep, but decided to just try sleeping outside. I flew toward a nearby cloud, and the moment I plopped down on it, I never wanted to get up again. The impossibly soft feeling was euphoric. Take the most comfortable cushion you can imagine, then multiply that by six. You still wouldn't even be close to describing what a cloud felt like. In almost no time at all, I fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

_As always, hope you enjoyed that!_

_Also Reven, nice job! Wasn't actually intended to be a subtle reference, but I did indeed get that from Megamind!(I love that movie.)  
_


End file.
